A Teacher’s Life

 This entails a life story of a teacher so familiar that I could not even conceal his identity. 

          It was a December day of 2004, few days before Christmas, when my morning eyesight was impaled on an early TV show, which gave viewers free greeting of their text message wishes. Well, it was not really free after all. I didn’t even know how the TV show aficionados enjoyed such segment, wasting some money for non-sense greetings! It was an ordinary morning, which was made extraordinary by the December fog and Christmas songs. Because of the mood-changing atmosphere, I eventually bothered myself sending my text message wish through the TV show, thinking that I still had some cell phone loads to play the game. After a short while, my message was flashed on the TV screen, which said “Sana magkaroon na ako ng trabaho.” Indeed, it was a desperate act a jobless person could ever wish. I had already finished a bachelor’s degree – the fact that gave me a license to live out of my own keep.

          Celebrating the yuletide season then probably was the hardest thing to observe.  My brothers and sisters would not give me gifts anymore. What more would I expect from my parents? Another celebration just passed by which I just embraced with the same wish – my birthday. Wishing was the only thing I could afford to do then.

          The New Year unfolded; and, it just catapulted to more wasted days and months I had to endure as a jobless degree-holder.  Eventually, I launched a job hunt like a fierce warrior who could not wait to fight in the battlefield where I could get paid. With my visual aids at hand, I could fight fair and square with anyone else who had the same plight. I was like a beast which was controlled by the law of the jungle – survival of the fittest. One, two, three, and more schools had I applied at; and, my condition was still status quo.  I started losing my patience, perseverance and, of course, money.

          One day I decided to apply in the public school where I had taken my off-campus student teaching in college. I was thinking that I had a good chance to spot a slot; for, I had already passed the Licensure Examination for Teachers with a rating that belonged to the upper ten percent of the total number of passers in the entire country.

          Along the way I met a person who said that he had a relative in the school where I was applying at. He even bragged that he had had five years of teaching experience in a private school and had finished the academic requirements in his graduate studies having taken up social studies – my specialization in my undergraduate course. In other words he was a strong competitor. He was like trying to barricade and guard me off his territory. Despite the big threat, I still tendered my application.

          After having counted more days, the result finally came out. To my surprise I was the only one who made it to the category A.  The supposed big threat against me fell in rank five under category B. However, the laborious application died out with the information that an item was not yet available for me. How long would I have to wait then? I decided to trash the chance out in the middle of the summer time.

          Truly, blessings usually come by surprise. I received a phone call from a big private school located in a city in Pangasinan. Finally, one person I knew would not contribute anymore to the unemployment rate in the country. Soon, I would be exercising my profession as a bona fide teacher. I was really excited to wear uniforms, be greeted by students, be addressed with ‘Sir,’ discuss lessons, and receive my first salary. The school routines were what quenched my thirst of my noble desire.      

         

During my first day of teaching, it was like I had a fountain of energy, which made me feel invincible and inexhaustible. I was given 42 units with 7 different subjects in college as my teaching load, which I wholeheartedly accepted. My teaching schedule only made me realize that I was deprived of my right to rest. I needed to rent for a bed-space near the school to economize my expenses for proximity reason. It was a residential type of building. It became my second home as I became acquainted with new friends. It became the witness of how I endured the anxiety of being away from my family for the first time and the hardship of adjustment. I needed to wake up at around five in the morning to cook food and be the first to use the bathroom. I washed and ironed my own clothes. I was also tasked for some time to do the marketing. It was a life apprenticeship in its own right.

          I usually arrived early at the school, which was situated nearby the boarding house. At first I was hesitant to accept the offer; for, I had been trained to teach in high school. Consequently I tried my best to teach in college. I experienced teaching students with different courses – Criminology, Teacher Education, Maritime, Engineering, HRM, Accountancy, etc. – across year levels. I experienced teaching the different areas of social science, English, and Humanities subjects. I was paid on an hourly basis, with 55 pesos per hour during my first year and 60 pesos per hour during my second year with allowance from 500 to 1000 pesos, respectively. In other words I was already earning despite all the difficulties a neophyte teacher had to pass through. There were several instances I had to finish computing the grades before I could receive my salary. There was even a time that I was eating instant noodles all day while I was forcing myself to finish with the computation due to my limited budget. Nevertheless I believed I was lucky to have a job amidst the economic crisis. Nevertheless, my first two years of teaching experience made me aspire for a better position.

          Before the school year of 2005-2006 ended, I tendered my application at the national high school near our house. Again I submitted myself for ranking, thinking I would be lucky this time. I passed through rigid assessment, examination, interviews, and demonstration teaching all over again. And after a couple of weeks, I learned I landed 2^nd under category A in the entire division. The first in rank outscored me by a minute point because of the points she got for the number of years in service. My two years of teaching in college did not earn me any point. This time I was very optimistic to get the plantilia position in the public school. However, the summer vacation was nearing its end; and, there was no call from the division office. I did not have any job that time; for, I got terminated when my employer found out I was applying for public school. Would I again experience the ordeal of job hunting? The only difference this time was I became an experienced job hunter. Consequently, my experience with the DepEd schools forced me not to rely too much on the ranking results because of alleged anomalies. On account of this, I submitted my application to as many schools as possible to increase my chance of getting employed in the next school year.

          Fortunately, I got a part-time teaching job at a state college in Tarlac. The rate was a little higher compared to the previous one. I was just probably complacent to accept it just to ease my anxiety. During the orientation I was too surprised to know that the regular number of teaching loads was just half of my regular load before. I started as a part-time teacher, only receiving less than 10,000 pesos per month. At least I did not have to kill myself just to earn that much. During the first semester I just commuted between home and school. For this I needed to wake up at 4:00 A.M. every weekday to catch up the 5:00 A.M. buss to school. In the afternoon I could not afford to miss the last trip on my way home to dodge expensive special trip. I would be home by about 7:00 P.M. and would just fall asleep at 12 midnight after preparing my lessons for the next day. Indeed, my previous experience made me ready for this.

          After a semester I rented a boarding house to significantly ameliorate my condition. A few months later, I got promoted to a contract of service. This time I was receiving a fixed salary regardless of the number of teaching loads I had. The only problem then was how to get by during the summer break without salary. Because of my performance, I got recommended for a contractual status and a temporary status in the successive years.  And the only way to get permanent position was to perform better and finish my master’s degree.

          Employing different strategies of teaching was not a big deal to me; for, I could apply a wide gamut of teaching strategies, which would significantly augment the delivery of my lessons. Field trips, debates, seminars, symposia, role-playing, dramatization were among the activities I would usually require my students to do.

          Writing my thesis then to finish my course was my goal to finally get permanent. I decided to develop and validate an instructional material on the subject Social Dimensions of Education, which was just a new subject under the new Teacher-Education Curriculum, to address the problem on the inadequacy of instructional materials. I used Howard Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences Theory in designing activities  that would tap at least three types of intelligence of my students. The work text was awarded the certificate of utilization, after passing through very rigid evaluation and validation. Eventually, I finished my graduate study in 2010, which became my passport in getting the permanent position I had long been dreaming of.

          Consequently, this further propelled my yen to aspire for more as I decided to embark on another chapter of my life as a teacher.

          My humble beginning in my educational quest as a neophyte student in the post-graduate study and the transformative influence on my profession brought about by my embryonic experiences for the past few months at the University of the Philippines even magnified my determination to transcend all the challenges along my way. Truly, never can quantity be equated with quality; for, needless to say, my learning experiences for the past few months have already made me distinguish the difference between ordinary and extraordinary, mediocrity and insatiability; and, complacence and excellence.

          Ever since studying the ‘science of man and his associates’ has stirred my curiosity and interest to become competent in the field and eventually aspire to be an ‘authority’ by pursuing degrees relevant to the field. This is exactly the reason why I took up Bachelor of Secondary Education, Major in Social Studies Education and Master of Arts in Education, Major in Social Studies Education, successively – the same reason I have in pursuing Doctor of Philosophy, Major in Anthropology/Sociology of Education. As a social science instructor, it is within the gamut of my concern to possess abyssal knowledge on man’s existence as a social being, with emphasis on his culture as a product of social and historical forces and the establishment of his institutions such as the school. And at the dawn of my life as a post-graduate student, I am sanguine to continuously enrich my knowledge, course my destiny, inspire others, and write the plots of my life story as a teacher.

             

RH Bill on Hot Seat

Kill Bill! The church may sound terrifyingly ironical with this as it forbids to kill. But this is what it wants to happen against the controversial Reproductive Health and Population Development Act of 2008 (House Bill No. 5043), better known as the RH Bill. Explicitly, “Kill Bill” is just an expression to mean turn down the plan of passing the bill to become a law. For when we say law, it means any infraction of it is punishable accordingly. What is RH Bill? Ask this question to a news buff and you would hear of words such as family planning, contraceptives, sex education, and so on. But, what really it is means to read entirely the bill to be cognizant on the bases of the adversarial contentions from the government and the religious sectors.

Needless to say, let us start with the definition of term. As defined by the framers of the bill, Reproductive Health refers to the state of physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity, in all matters relating to the reproductive system and to its functions and processes. This implies that people are able to have a satisfying and safe sex life, that they have the capability to reproduce and the freedom to decide if, when and how often to do so, provided that these are not against the law. This further implies that women and men are afforded equal status in matters related to sexual relations and reproduction.

This definition is not representative of the entire bill but instead will only give us salient hint as to what the framers want to advocate. This all boils down to widening every person’s right to informed choice, as implicitly expressed in the constitution and clearly stated in the bill itself.
What could be the impetus of the burgeoning pro-bill supporters, including of course the head of the government and state himself, President Benigno Aguino III, in supporting the passage of this bill?
One of the bill’s guiding principles reads “Since manpower is the principal asset of every country, effective reproductive health care services must be given primacy to ensure the birth and care of healthy children and to promote responsible parenting….” With this anyone would not find it hard to support the bill. Truly, the kind of manpower a country has plays a titanic role in beefing up its culture of quality life.
On the other hand, the religious sectors’ stand against the bill circumvents to accept the use of modern methods of family planning, hence the use of modern contraceptives. Contraceptive paraphernalia will be widely available and accessible in the entire country as soon as the bill flourishes on the basis of how the distribution and information dissemination of the government will work.

In the parlance of obstetrics, there are contraceptives that work as abortifacients. Contextually, conception starts at the fertilization of the egg cell. Contraceptives work by preventing the union of sperm cell and egg cell from becoming a zygote. However, some say that conception starts at the implantation of the embryo in the uterus lining. In this case, contraceptives become abortifacient when they work to remove at least the zygote from the womb. Technically, by considering the preceding illustration, the law on abortion is already impinged.

Furthermore, the reproductive health education is believed by the “anti-bill” advocates to debilitate moral ascendancy of the people, especially the youth, on sex.
Now, will you say yes or no to the bill?
Undoubtedly, the bill promotes reproductive health and population development, a measure that our country needs to counter the heightening problems on poverty. However, what country that will prosper in the end while it is inhabited by divided people? Let conciliatory words and action seal what is best for the country.

AKO AT ANG LIPUNAN

Ikaw, ako, tayo ang bumubuo sa lipunang humuhubog sa ating sarili, sa ating pagkatao, at sa ating buhay. Ito ay binubuo ng mga iba’t ibang institusyong may kani-kaniyang papel na ginagampanan sa pagtaguyod ng ating bansa. May pamilyang nagsisilbing ating sanktwaryo, may pamahalaang nagbibigay direksyon sa ating bansa, may ekonomiyang sumusustento sa ating pamumuhay, at may relihiyong gumagabay sa atin tungo sa tamang landas. Lahat ng ito’y may layuning maitaguyod ang ating buhay. At kung ating lilimiin, lahat tayo, bilang bahagi ng ating lipunan, ay may kani-kaniyang papel na ginagampanan sa bawat isa. Kay sarap isiping ikaw, ako, tayo ay magkakaugnay sa lipunang ating ginagalawan. Masasabi kong ako ay mistulang nasa alapaap sa ganitong ideyalismo.
Subalit ang katotohanan ay siyang gumigising sa aking balintataw. Marahil ang nais kong paniwalaa’y isang panaginip na unti-unting maghahatid sa akin tungo sa bangungot ng katotohanan. Tunay ngang ang lipunan ay sumasalamin sa iba’t ibang mukha ng buhay. Isang lipunang prudukto ng katotohanan at hindi ng kathang-isip lamang. Dito natin mapagtatanto na ang lipunang ating ginagalawan ay isang masukal na kagubatang may sariling batas na kadalasa’y umaayon sa mga kagustuhan ng mga taong ganid sa salapi at kapangyarihan. Ito ay ang lipunan ng katotohanan na nagbibigay imahe sa iba’t-ibang mukha ng ating buhay.
Ikaw, paano mo mailalarawan ang mukha ng iyong buhay? Marahil ay nakalalasap ka ng kaginhawaan sa buhay – kaginhawaang karapatdapat mong makamit dahil sa iyong pakikibaka sa hamon ng buhay, kaginhawaang pinaghirapan mo sa mahabang panahong pagbabanat ng buto, kaginhawaang inaasam-asam ng bawat tao sa ating bansa. Sa tulong marahil ng ilang institusyong patuloy mong pinaniniwalaan, ang buhay mo ay nananatiling marangya at matagumpay. Ikaw ay nakakakain ng tatlo o higit pang beses sa isang araw, nakapagsusuot ng mga magagarang damit, may magandang bahay na inuuwian matapos ng maghapong pagpapagal para sa kinabukasan. Ikaw marahil ay isang ehemplo ng maaliwalas na mukha ng buhay sa ating lipunan.
Subalit, batid mo bang sa kabila ng iyong tagumpay ay may mga taong unti-unting kinikitil ng pagdarahop at kawalan ng pag-asa? Batid mo bang may mga taong isang beses lamang kumain sa loob ng ilang araw, nababalutan ng animo’y basahang nagsisilbing proteksyon sa init at lamig, walang tahanang mauuwian – palaboy-laboy sa lansangan? Sila ang mga taong biktima ng kapalpakan ng ilang mga institutusyong pinaniniwalaan mong huhubog sa matiwasay na kinabukasan. Sila ang mga taong tunay na imahe ng ating lipunan, ng ating bansa. Sa kanila nakakintal ang bahagi ng kasaysayan ng ating kasarinlan. Ngayon, kung ikaw ay isa sa mga bumubuo ng ating lipunan, masasabi mo bang ikaw ay lubos na matagumpay?
Oo, batid ko ang lahat ng ito dahil sa aking pakikipagsapalaran sa buhay! Minsan ko ng naranasan ang buhay na matiwasay. At minsan ko ng pinaniwalaan ang iyong paniniwala na may mga institusyon pa rin na pilit na humuhulma sa buhay na matagumpay. Datapwat, ako ay nadapa sa hangaring maabot ko ang aking tagumpay. At ang sugat na sanhi nito ang siyang nagparamdam sa akin ng hapdi ng panaghoy ng mga taong nagmistulang aking hagdanan tungo sa rurok ng tagumpay. Dito ko nakita ang aking sariling nakalugmok sa isang tabi, wari’y ‘di alam ang gagawin. Titiisin ko na lang bang makita ang kanilang hinagpis o pakikinggan ko ang salimuot ng kanilang hinaing? Ang pagkakataong ‘yon ay tila isang tanikalang gumapos sa aking mga paa na siyang humahawi sa aking pagpupumiglas upang masilayan ang minimithing pangarap. Kasabay nito ang mga katanungang pumukaw sa aking isipan, “Nasaan na ang pamilyang nagsisilbing sanktwaryo ng bawat isa? Nasaan na ang pamahalaang nagbibigay direksyon sa ating bansa? Nasaan na ang ekonomiyang sumusustento sa ating pamumuhay? At nasaan na ang relihiyong…?” Bago ko pa maibulalas ang mga huling kataga, napagtanto kong ako pala ay parte ng mga institusyong ito. Pumaimbabaw sa aking gunita ang mga mabubuting salita na nagmumula sa relihiyong nagsilbing daan upang mas makilala ko ang May Likha. Ako ay miyembro ng isang pamilya, mamamayang bumabalangkas sa ating pamahalaan, manggagawa sa ating ekonomiya, at higit sa lahat ay isang anak ng Diyos. Kaya ang namutawi na lamang sa aking mga labi ay ang tanong na nagbigay-daan upang lubos kong maintindihan ang daloy ng buhay: “Nasaan na ako?” Malayu-layo na rin ang aking narating, ngunit malayo pa rin ang dapat tahakin. Sa aking paglalakbay, ako ba ay naging matagumpay?
Tayo na naniniwala sa kapalpakan ng mga institusyong bumubuo sa ating lipunan ay ang mismong bumubuo sa mga ito. Tayo na may pinapasang krus sa buhay ay nagsisilbing krus na pasanin sa buhay ng ibang tao. Tayo ang dahilan sa bahong umaalingasaw sa ating lipunan. Samakatuwid, tayo ang titistis sa kanser ng lipunan na dulot ng kawalang-malasakit sa isa’t isa. Sa puntong ito, tayo nang mamuhay upang magbigay buhay sa ibang tao sapagkat lahat tayo ay may maituturing na responsibilidad na maitaguyod ang pamumuhay ng bawat isa. Ngayon, sa tulong ng mga institusyong dapat nating paniwalaan at ng ating sariling nagsisilbing pinakamahalagang institusyong kaloob ng Diyos; ikaw, ako, tayo ang sabay-sabay na guguhit ng masagana, maaliwalas, at matagumpay na mukha ng ating buhay.

Road Less Taken

I could pretty well remember when I was obliged to choose what course to take up in college. I was a fourth year high school student then when I was about to spend my last few days at Saint Charles Academy, seemingly getting ready to take off the portal of my sanctuary and fly in the wilderness of uncertainty. It was a turning point of my young life from being mediocre to being aspirant. Graduation day came as it just passed by to formally proclaim an end to start. It turned out a very usual celebration for an introvert person like I was.
To choose a course in college was probably the hardest decision I had to do that time. I had completely no idea what guiding rules to follow. I could be easily swayed by anyone who would give me a simple description of a course. Well, how weak I was as a decision maker. Nevertheless, despite this dilemma I encountered, I was still able to make a list of courses from which I should refer to whenever the final moment to select would come.

Since, it was the time of growing cognizance on computer literacy, I dreamt then of becoming a computer engineer someday. In fact it was first in the list. I was so fascinated by performing operations on a computer and designing modern computers probably. Next in the list was Mass Communication. I just loved to imagine myself being in front of a video camera while giving out the latest news in the country or out in the field looking for some situations to cover up. With a flashlight at hand, the simulation was complete in front of a body mirror. The last – and definitely the ‘least’ – was Education; for a reason that choices always come in three maybe. Besides, it was suggested by my sister who had lived a stereotypical life. And though I used to play the role of a teacher with my childhood friends as my students, I never imagined myself becoming one in real life.
On account of financial instability, the first one was definitely not an appealing course anymore. Should it materialize, I could not have finished a bachelor’s degree. No more dreaming of becoming a computer wizard. The second one, on the other hand, gave me quite a hard time to think of its plausibility. Since news on killing or kidnapping of reporters or journalists became rampant, I immediately abandoned that idea. Eventually, I came to realize that I got no choice but to pursue the last one – Education. Apparently it seemed as the only course suited to a less fortunate like me. Whenever my cousins would ask me about my course, I would automatically express discouragement with a statement of promise to take up Computer Engineering when I could already earn my own keep.
Left with no choice, I made a deal with the Lord that if ever I did not pass the examinations at Pangasinan State University, teaching was not really written as part of my destiny, thinking that He had prepared something better for me. It was a point of either to make or unmake it for my future. Momentarily, to my surprise, of all my peers who had dreamed to become a teacher, it was only I who was admitted after passing all the examinations. It was probably a sign from Him that teaching was the track I should traverse – the thing that I could hardly embrace during my first two years in the university. However, the moment that I became used to the customary endeavors a pre-service teacher had to experience, I started opening myself to accepting the fact that teaching was the calling God had prepared for me. The years I spent in college turned out to be the opportunities that metamorphosed me from the cocoon of contentment to what I have become – a dignified person with a role to perform, that is to become a teacher. Now, I am counting years in practicing the profession and have even committed myself for professional advancement. I have learned to wear the authority figure of my identity with a shield of respect from the people called students. I have learned to learn and make others learn. I have learned to love this profession, which I used to abhor. I cannot hide that I am now a full-fledged teacher by action, heart, and soul. And whenever I reminisce moments in my life, I always look back to the road I have learned to traverse – the road less taken.

Social Renewal: The Living Funeral

When a teacher cries in front of a class, the culture will tell it is improper, for he/she must show that he/she is emotionally stable. When a teacher confides his/her problem to his/her students, the culture will tell it is improper, the latter shall be the ones confiding to the former. Culture tells everything one must do. What ought to be and not ought to be show the parameter of morality. If one goes beyond the restrictions, he becomes a deviant.
Many of my professors way back in college always emphasized never to show my would-be students my emotional weaknesses. It did not matter at all, until I became a full-fledged teacher. I have learned to understand the principle behind it. I have learned when and where to be emotional, at least not in front of my students. One professor, I remember, once told me that if you had a problem, just trample on a door mat of the classroom several times while thinking of the problem fading away before going inside to face the students. That professor said it could give psychological effect as if leaving whatever problem you have outside. I did it several times; and, I was just like fooling myself. The problem was still there. And anytime my face would show something noticeable by my physical critics – the students.

Does a teacher need to include in his multifaceted roles wearing of enigmatic mask to emphasize that the show must go on? It is pathetic! Sometimes, amidst the stressing endeavors that torture a teacher, he/she forgets that he/she is nothing but an emotional being – the thing that makes him/her a human.
I have been teaching for over four years; and, never had I experienced this life-changing event that has altered my stereotyped perception of a teacher. Marlon Tabilisma, a good friend of mine, told me several times about this so called “The Living Funeral.” It would really sound creepy to anyone who would hear of it. Whenever he would open his mouth over a dinner, he would always start talking about his class doing this. After several sessions of this mini symposium over a dinner, I finally included it in the symposium I had planned in my subject Sociology with Population Education with my same friend as the speaker. I thought it would only be a drama that would provoke the emotional immaturity of the students. But I was wrong. On September 16, Tuesday, of this year[2008], I finally experienced this most-awaited part of the symposium. Every minute would make you realize that life is short and would also make you consider that loving your enemy is very easy. I could not explain, but it really happened. The environment transformed into an ambiance of melancholy, reflection, and soul-searching. The students would attest for the transformation they experienced. They found themselves going to their own wakes. They heard the sweetest words one may not hear when he is already dead. I also found myself attending my own wake. At least, I was able to hear from my students the sweetest words I did not imagine coming from them.
According to Morris Schwartz, in the novel Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom, if the culture does not fit, don’t buy it. This does not mean to go against the moral standards of the society. Who says that crying in front of the students is improper? I cried and I earned respect.

SHE

One of the most important persons in my life is my mother. Her unconditional love for me is her wealth. She has never changed at all from what she was when I was only a student to what she is now that I am already a successful person. She is the person who has taught me the values of patience, humbleness, and fortitude. She is a very simple person, yet determined. She fights when she knows she is right.

This mother's day I really want to make her feel how thankful I am for having her as my mother. No one could really replace her in my heart. She is one of the reasons why I still pursue my dreams in life.

Secrets:

1. She wore the same dress during my graduation day in elementary and recognition day in college.

2. When she wins in jueteng, she will tell me first.

3. She is a bingo addict. When I treated her out to SM, she just spent the entire day playing bingo after eating her favorite halo-halo at Chowking. She even invited her playmate.

4. I was sleeping beside her on bed until I reached third year in college, while my father was sleeping on another bed in the room.

5. On our way to the baccalaureate mass, a day before my graduation in the graduate school, her sandals broke down in the middle of the high way where I needed to get for her while I was dressed up formally. Her feet were trying to keep the sandals in tack until she could manage to walk alongside a mall. Unfortunately, all parts of her sandals disintegrated until she was walking barefooted. I looked for a vendor who was selling sandals and slippers right away. I bought her slippers to relieve her from embarrassment in the mean time, while we were waiting for the mall to open. Finally, I bought her sandals for her not to retract from attending the mass.

She is simply amazing! I love you, Nanay!

Election Fever 2010

I arrived at the polling area at 2:30 P.M. I could see the exhausted faces of some electorate who were patiently waiting in queues. I fell in the last portion of the line. It seemed not moving for about 20 mins. It was even aggravated by high humidity.
Then, I decided to go home and come back when the line would be shorter. I asked my Dad, who had been busy wandering about the polling precincts, to text me when the line would seem to clear up. I went back at 4:20 after receiving a text from my Dad. As I got near the area, the line turned out longer. I had no choice but to endure the ordeal of exercising my political right.
Finally, I was able to cast my vote after two and a half hours. The feeling was different. I felt I became more of a Filipino citizen. The indelible ink on my index finger's nail would remain perpetually symbolic. (The end!)